Beth
by XLady-ZoZo-The-Pict-PrincessX
Summary: Beth is Lady Penelope's niece and liflong friend of the Tracy's. Can they help her overcome her grief after a tragic accident. Better summary inside.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Thunderbird characters. George, Theresa and Beth are all my own creation.**

**Summary: Elizabeth 'Beth' McIntyre is the Niece of Lady Penelope. After a tragic accident she is reunited with the Tracy's (whom she knew from childhood). Can they help her overcome the grief and be happy again? Or will she remain in her deep depressive state for the rest of her life. Only John can get close enough to her to help.**

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**Prologue**

On December 23rd 1993 at approximately 7.30pm in a private hospital in London, George and Theresa McIntyre were over joyed with the birth of their daughter Elizabeth McIntyre. She had a very small family which consisted of her parents, a grandmother in her fathers native country America and an aunt whom she and her parents lived with in her country mansion. Lady Penelope Creighton Ward refused to take no for an answer when she offered for her sister and brother in law to live with her. Her excuse being that it would be nice to have the last of her family close to home.

Her life at her aunt's home was as full of joy and love. She was taken to dance lessons by her mother and aunt, and always managed to rope 'Uncle' Parker into playing tea party and dress up with her. However, on September 19th 1998 Theresa McIntyre died from complications which arose due to advanced diabetes. Elizabeth was just four years old. George was heart broken and fell into a deep depression, leaving Elizabeth to be raised by her Aunt Penelope, who soon became a second mother to the young girl. Nearly a year after Theresa's death, Elizabeth asked her father, in her innocence, if she could have a 'broked heart' so that her father would remember her too. It was in that moment that her father decided to take his daughter back to America with him in order to bring her up in an environment where he could at least concentrate on her rather than his grief. Penelope was very understanding of the situation and promised her niece that she would come to visit her over the summer.

At first, Elizabeth didn't like Kansas. In her own view, it was boring and would never be her home. She wished that she could stay with her Auntie Penny, but her father said that she would grow to love his own childhood home. They lived in a relatively small house, with a long driveway and small front garden and also a small back garden that had a small apple tree at the end.

Just a few days after they moved into their new home, they received a visit from the wife of their next door neighbor. Lucille Tracy, a petite woman of 30 years, was full love and care. She'd noticed the arrival of George and his daughter and decided to wait a few days before going around to welcome them to the neighborhood and to invite them to a barbecue with herself and the rest of her family. George was very grateful for her offer and accepted it. For Beth, however, it took a lot of convincing on Georges part to get her to meet the Tracy family. Eventually she agreed to go, as long as she didn't have to play with any of the children because they were all boys.

The barbecue was a success. George introduced Beth to the Tracy family and he finally got to meet Jeff. The evening was spent discussing the area, neighbors, schools and work. George had managed to get a job working at a local garage and got Beth enrolled into the same school as the Tracy children. They were: Scott (aged 8); John (aged 6). Virgil, the third child of Lucille and Jeff, was only 2 years old and therefore didn't go to school yet. It took many weeks, but eventually Beth got used to the Tracy family, in particular Scott and John because they went to school together. John more than Scott because they both were in the same grade together. All three children became exceptionally close over the course of the next six months, especially when George fell into his depression over and over again throughout their time in their new home. Due to this, she spent a lot of time at the Tracy home, doing homework and playing with the boys.

The only time that the two families were separated was whenever Beth would go to England for 4 weeks of the summer holiday in order to visit her Aunt Penelope. Other than that, they were all inseparable.

During the next few years, the Tracy family celebrated the arrivals of Gordon and then Alan. Beth made sure it was her job to go around to the Tracy family home and help Lucille with all of her chores and help her to look after the younger family members. This was always greatly appreciated. However, when Beth was 11 years old, the Tracy went on a Skiing holiday in the Alps. They left their Kansas home filled excitement and happiness, only to return in fear and depression. Lucille got caught in an avalanche, killing her.

Beth kept her distance for a while, not to sure how to handle the grief that was being shown by all of the Tracy's. Eventually, after the funeral and giving the family the space they needed in order to grieve properly, she began going to their home to help Scott and John take care of their brothers until their father found himself again.

Over the course of the next seven years she helped the family, along with Grandma Tracy take care of the younger boys. Jeff appreciated all of her help so much that he even gave her her own room to stay in when she needed a place to stay while her dad worked a couple of night shifts at a second job in a 24hour supermarket.

During the course of her school life, Beth continued her love for dancing and discovered a love for mechanics after spending holidays with her day fixing cars and other mechanical objects. This was soon reflected in her school work and became a major influence when choosing what she wanted to do at University.

Throughout the course of her life in Kansas, Beth and John's relationship grew more and more within each passing day. They both discovered a passion for space and the stars after listening to many of Jeff's astronaut stories. They were both quiet in class and at home, often invoking the wrath of the school bullies upon them. When they were fifteen, John was being beaten up by the main bully of their grade, Ethan Brooks It was in this particular moment that Beth finally decided that she had had enough of the way she and John were being treated. So, instead of running off to find Scott or a teacher, she jumped into the middle of the crowd and began using some of the fighting techniques her Aunt Penelope had taught her in the past. It was safe to say that the kid never went near her and John ever again. Of course the teachers found out, along with the rest of the school, the Tracy Family and her father, which of course ended up with her being grounded for a month and extra babysitting duties. Both Scott and John were grateful for what she did, John because he was always grateful for her help and Scott because by the time he arrived at the scene, Beth was already cleaning John's injuries.

After School, Beth and John went to College in order to help them get the grades they needed to get into NASA. Whilst John wanted to be an Astronaut and work in the NASA space station, Beth studied advanced Physics and engineering. She was quite happy to work as an engineer within the NASA Space Center, rather than up at the Station, due to (as she told John many times) she got air sickness, but really it was because she wanted to be on the ground in case her father needed her, and for this, George was grateful.

During the may years of knowing the Tracy's, Penelope would come to visit George and Beth in their Kansas home, who introduced her to the Tracy family, thus beginning the long friendship that later became a more professional one after the creation of the Thunderbirds.

All was happy and good in her life, until she was coming to the end of her first week of vacation at her Aunt Penelope's English Country Mansion. It was a visit that began the chain of events leading up to Beth's recruitment into the Thunderbirds. Beth and her father were driving back to Lady Penelope's home, after a trip into London to see the sights and to go shopping, when the driver of a Semi plowed into the drivers side of the car. All Beth knew of when she finally awoke after the accident was that she was laughing with her father about a particularly bad joke he told and the next thing she was waking up in a hospital bed in an empty room.

Here are the sequence of events that changed Beth for the rest of her life.

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**AN: This is still early days with this story. As you can probably see I have redone this entire chapter to add a little bit more information into it. Not sure when I will update next because I am trying to update my other fic 'The World We Know' and I don't know whether I will continue with my Phantom of the Opera story yet. Thanks for reading and if you can review that will be great.**

**Thanks!!**

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	2. Panic and Grief

**AN: Well I went back and had a look at chapter one and thought I needed some interaction between Beth, George, Lady P, and John. So here is the rewrite of the first chapter enjoy.**

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**Chapter One.**

For once, the English weather was good. All holiday, to Beth's dismay, there had been nothing but rain and wind. But today on the last day of her visit to her Aunt Penelope's country mansion, the sun shone with blue skies and very few clouds. The beeping of her video phone alerted her to an internal call. As she answered, she was greeted with her Aunts smiling face.

"Elizabeth Darling. There's a call for you."

"Who is it?"

"Well, he is tall, blond and extremely handsome. I believe he is also American." She said with a laugh.

"Very funny Auntie P. You didn't say that to his face did you? You know how embarrassed he gets."

"Of course not Darling. I shall patch him through for you. Oh would you like Parker to bring a cup of tea whilst you talk to him?"

"That would be very nice. Thank you Auntie P."

"My pleasure sweetheart. He shall be up in a couple of minutes. Have fun." She said with a smile before her face disappeared only to be replaced with the face of Beth's long time friend, John Tracy.

"John! It's so good to see you. And what do I owe the pleasure for your call?"

John smiled at her before answering. "Well, it has been a long time since we spoke and I wanted to see how you were doing."

"John, I spoke to you a couple of days ago. It hasn't been that long."

"Well I'm so used to seeing you all the time. Am I not allowed to call you?" He said slyly.

"Very funny John. Of course you can call me any time you like. We are best friends." She said with a smile. "The sun is actually shining today."

"It is? Great!"

"I know but it has happened right at the very end of my holiday. Oh well, at least I got to brush up on my dancing skills."

"But you don't need to. You a brilliant dancer."

"Not my ballet, silly. I mean my street dancing. I took a few classes didn't I before my trip."

"Oh yeah. Now I remember. Hows it goin?"

"Great. I've been using different songs so there's always a change in the beat." She said proudly.

"You'll have to show me next time you come to visit paradise." He said, smiling at her.

"Of course."

Just at that point in the conversation, there was a knock at the door. After receiving the okay to enter, Parker walked in carrying a tray of tea and toast for Beth. As he placed her breakfast down on the table he said, "Here you are Miss. I took the liberty of making you some breakfast. Is there anything else I can do for you Miss Elizabeth."

"No thank you, Parker. This is lovely." With that, he gave her a slight before leaving the room and closing the door behind him.

"Miss Elizabeth? It's all very …. proper in England isn't it?" Said John, as he tried to hide his smile and stop himself from laughing.

"Yes it is. Sometimes it can be very annoying, but it is homely sometimes." As she looked up she noticed he was trying not to laugh at her. "Alright, thank you John. You can stop laughing now." She said with a smile.

"Sorry Beth. You miss it don't you?"

"What?"

"The whole atmosphere in England. You miss it. And you needn't lie to me either. I can read you like a book."

"I suppose I do sometimes. But America is home to me now. I have lived there since I was five years old. I suppose I mainly miss this place because I feel close to my mother whilst I'm here. This is where I lived with her and so apart of me will always long for this place." She said with a smile to him.

They spoke for a while longer whilst she ate her breakfast and drank her tea. A topic they always spoke fondly of was the rescues that John's brothers participated in. Being around the Tracy family growing up, she was there when the Thunderbird ideas began and always worried about her surrogate family, watching the rescues on TV then calling John to make sure that they were all okay. They were just discussing the latest rescue when her father shouted up the stairs to her.

"Beth! Hurry up on that video phone will you! We should have left half an hour ago!"

"Sorry dad! Just give me a minute." She shouted back before looking over at John. "I'm sorry, I have to go. Dad wants to go for a trip into London before we head back tomorrow."

"Well I hope you have fun. And tell your dad I said hi."

"I will. Tell everyone in paradise that I miss them all and will be visiting soon. And you had better be there as well John Tracy. I haven't seen you in the flesh for a long time."

"I know. I'll talk to my dad and see if I can get a week of down time when you come to visit."

"Good, because I miss you John Tracy. Anyway I have to go before my dad starts shouting again. I'll call you when the plane lands tomorrow." With that they both said their goodbyes and signed off.

"Come on dad. You cannot honestly think that the changing of the guard was that bad?" Said Beth as her father drove them both back to the Creighton-Ward manor after spending the day in London together before their flight home the next day.

"I just don't see what all the fuss is about, Bumblebee. It's just a bunch of men dressed in heavy clothes and bear skin hats, marching around. Why do people get amazed by that?"

"Dad it is something that has been done in England for Centuries. It is iconic. People come from all around the world to see something that is an honor to do and that is to change the guard of Buckingham Palace. It is ensure the queens safety. An English tradition."

"You very patriotic when it comes to this subject aren't you?" George said with a laugh.

"Yes dad. I am. I'm proud of that half of my heritage. I love being here just as much as I love being in America. I feel closer to mom when I am." She looked at her dad who as small smile on his face.

"I know you do Bumblebee. I feel the same when I'm here." He squeezed her hand before saying, "However the one thing I hate about this place is the weather...and when you drag me into the middle of London just to watch the changing of the guard." He said with a laugh.

"Dad, you loser." She said with a laugh. They were pulling out of a T junction when they heard a screeching sound. All Beth had time to noticed was the large Semi heading towards her fathers side of the car before everything went black.

The dark groggy cloud of unconsciousness began to lift away from Elizabeth McIntyre's mind only to be replaced by the pain she felt in the rest of her body. That was when the confusion began to set in. Where was she? How did she get there? And why was she in so much pain? The only thing she could remember was laughing and joking with her father whilst returning to her Aunt Penelope's Mansion. WAIT..............

HER FATHER!! She had no idea where he was.

She quickly opened her eyes, only to regret it afterwards when the glare of the white lights above her stung her eyes. Groaning, she opened them again and glanced around the room she was in. She was attached to a heart monitor and drip, along with an oxygen mask. Once her eyes had cleared a bit more she got to look around the room a bit better she noticed that she was alone in the room. It was then that she started to panic. If her father wasn't by her side waiting for her to wake up, then where was he?

She ripped off her oxygen mask and sat up to take out her drip line and take the small circular pads, monitoring her heartbeat, off. As she sat up further she hissed when a sharp pain ran down the length of her ribs and round her abdomen. Her right wrist was strapped up indicating that it was sprained and the pain on the side of her face told her she was either bruised or cut there also.

She winced as she stood up and bent a little to ease the pain until it passed. She stepped out of her room hesitantly and looked around. In her mind the corridor outside her hospital room was empty. "Dad?" She called, looking around. As she turned to her left the lights above began to go out one by one, leaving the end of the corridor in darkness. As the darkness got closer to Elizabeth she, in her panicked state, ran in the opposite direction as fast as she could, until she hit something when she wasn't looking. "DAD!!!!!!!" She shouted this as she felt someone wrap their arms around her.

When she glanced up she found that she was in the arms of her long time friend John Tracy. However due to her panic she just threw her arms around him. "I'm sorry Beth, he's gone." That was when she screamed her heartbreak out for all of the world to hear and sank to the floor, John's arm still wrapped around her tightly as he knelt down with her. "Shhhhhh. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." John said this whilst he stroked her hair trying to comfort her, feeling his own tears as they began to make tracks down his face.

When he heard another sob, he looked behind Beth to see her Aunt standing behind her, her own tears running down her cheeks, and Parker just behind her, trying to hide his own tears from the people around them. He looked around to where his family was to see their reactions to Beth's own screams. Jeff was sat in a chair by the wall his head in his hands; Scott had come to kneel next to him and put a hand on Beth's back, allowing his tears to flow freely; Virgil was leaning against the wall just looking at the ceiling trying to stop his own tears from falling, with little success; Both Gordon and Alan were on the other side of the corridor, the eldest with an arm around the youngest family member who seemed to be in shock. Gordon was trying to look anywhere but Beth.

The Tracy's considered Beth as a member of their family and to see her in such pain put them all in turmoil. She was the one that they all went to when they needed to vent or talk about what they had on their minds. Even Jeff spoke to her on the odd occasion knowing that whatever secret was said would never be repeated. To him, she was the daughter he never had and to John's brothers, a sister. However, to John she would always be a little more special.

No one knew what to do as they had never really had to deal with the type of emotions that were emanating from Beth. Sure, when Lucille died, the Tracy's grieved, but they had never cried out in panic, fear and grief in the way that Beth had. The older family members threw themselves into their work or school work and taking care of the younger ones. All they could do was wait for her to calm down before they did any thing. And that was what John and his family did. He sat with her in his arms, kissed her on the head and rocked her backward and forwards, waiting for the tears to fade away for a while.


End file.
